Brewers' deadline trade makes more sense after latest Jackson Chourio injury update

As the trade deadline inched closer and closer yesterday, Milwaukee Brewers fans held out hope that their front office was quietly constructing a deal for an impact bat that would fortify the middle of their order down the stretch. However, when the clock struck 5:00, the only offensive acquisition that the Brewers had made, in addition to their trade for Danny Jansen earlier in the week, was glove-first outfielder Brandon Lockridge, who the team acquired in a deal with the San Diego Padres for starting pitcher Nestor Cortes and infield prospect Jorge Quintana.

It was a head-scratching move at the time. Yes, Lockridge has an elite glove in the outfield and 99th percentile sprint speed, but did the Brewers really need another toolsy outfielder with little power? Not only that, but Milwaukee already rosters five outfielders in Jackson Chourio, Isaac Collins, Sal Frelick, Blake Perkins, and Christian Yelich. Finding a spot on the big league roster for Lockridge was difficult, that is until the Brewers officially announced the latest injury update on their talented young outfielder, Chourio.

Jackson Chourio placed on 10-day IL with hamstring strain, Brandon Lockridge replaces him on major league roster

During Tuesday night's game against the Chicago Cubs, Chourio laced a triple to right field to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning, but as he was rounding second base, he pulled his right hamstring and had to be removed from the game. While it was initially thought to be a minor injury, one that may not even require an IL stint, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel revealed on X that Chourio could miss as much as a month after being placed on the 10-day IL on Friday afternoon.

It's a disheartening development for the first-place Brewers who could be without one of their best hitters until the stretch run in September. However, the update does explain why the front office targeted an outfielder when trading away Nestor Cortes.

The Brewers likely knew of the severity of Chourio's injury during yesterday's trade talks and knew they were going to need another outfielder on the roster for the next few weeks. Lockridge gets a chance to prove himself over the next month, but the Brewers can easily option him to the minor leagues upon Chourio's return if he doesn't produce — a luxury that they would not have had if they had traded for a proven veteran outfielder with no minor league options remaining.

Maybe the increased opportunities or change of scenery or the confidence from the front office will lead Lockridge to break out in a Brewers uniform, similar to the way that fellow trade acquisition Andrew Vaughn has done over the last few weeks.

Lockridge will get his first opportunity tonight, as he is leading off for the Brewers and playing right field in their series opener against the Washington Nationals. He and the rest of the Brewers' offense will face lefty Mitchell Parker, which should be a good matchup for the right-handed hitting Lockridge.

It's no certainty that Lockridge, who is hitting for a .519 OPS through 47 games this season, turns things around with the Crew, but now that we know the severity of Chourio's hamstring injury, it makes more sense why the front office acquired a major league-ready outfielder at this year's trade deadline.

Even still, it begs the question: if the front office knew about the severity of Chourio's injury, why didn't they target one of the stronger outfielders on the trade market? Players like Ramon Laureano or Cedric Mullins would have served as stronger replacements for the injured Chourio. That is a question for another day. For now, let's see what Brandon Lockridge brings to the table.